


Step at a time

by nivce



Category: RWBY
Genre: Confessions, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I guess..., Nightmares, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29988498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nivce/pseuds/nivce
Summary: Neo has an all-too-familiar nightmare.
Relationships: Cinder Fall/Neopolitan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	Step at a time

**Author's Note:**

> once again, i am bad at descriptions.  
> *drops this and RUNS*

Neo was falling, plummeting through the thick, inky night. Wind violently whipped through her hair, overwhelming her hearing and other senses. The metal frame of Hush shook and rattled, only barely hindering her fall. The shrieks of circling grimm were just barely audible above the tumultuous wind. One flew last her, too quickly to identify. The momentum of the beast sent the woman flying back, position in the sky shaking as her parasol attempted to account for the movement.

Each of the thief's nerves were alight with panic. A pit opened in her stomach, feeling as it had been thrown into a similar freefall. She could not distinguish the ground through the thick sky, even with the moon shining radiantly on all things below. Neo did not have to see it to know that it was quickly approaching. Her jaw veered open, involuntary letting out a silent shriek as the gravity of the situation hit.

It would seem nothing could lessen her descent. The grimm continued to whip around her, though they did not make any direct attempts at Neo’s life. Each passing creature threw her into an even greater state of panic. The woman's mind reeled, attempting to summon some kind of plan with little success.

Neo's breathing became shallow and quick as her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. She broke out in a cold sweat, chilling her to the core with help of the surrounding blustering gale.

She could- she could see the ground approaching! The world underneath spun wildly and there was nothing she could do about it. Neo had never been religious, but found herself making a broken prayer all the same.

Then her eyes fluttered open.

Her body woke with a violent jolt. She laid on her back, stiff and unmoving, staring out into the darkness. Neo's chest heaved, breathing labored and rough. She was plastered with sweat and could feel it pooling underneath her, though she was not in a position to care. Shaking like a defenseless prey animal, the girl slowly brought a hand to her chest. Only then did she become aware of her wildly pounding heart. The palpitations filled her ears, cutting over the sound of silence filling the black room. Her eyes blinked rapidly, hoping to adjust to the darkness. While it was clear she wasn't, Neo still felt as if her body were in freefall.

Though her muscles protested, the woman scrambled into a sitting position. Thick locks fell over her shoulder as she bowed her head, forming a curtain of brown and pink. Her petite hands were gently folded in her lap. She wrung one of her fingers.

That was the same night she had lost Roman. It was the same night that was always in her dreams.

She didn't dream frequently. Most of her sleep went uninterrupted. But, if she were to, it was always the same nightmare. The memories were still too fresh on her mind.

A quick, shuttering gasp escaped the thief. It was a breath she was unaware she had even been holding. Lacing her fingers through her hair, Neo attempted to soothe her thoughts whilst staring ahead in the darkness.

There was a subtle shift in the mattress below, reminding the woman that she was no longer alone. Neo had briefly forgotten about her in her panic.

With a sigh, Neo turned to glance at the other woman, whom she shared the bed with. The thief almost hoped she wasn't awake, though she knew better than to think that.

And she was correct. Cinder was, indeed, awake. It would seem she was an incredibly light sleeper. It was not rare for Neo to wake early, only to find the maiden had woken hours prior.

They were both troubled, it seemed.

They had only shared a bed a few times previously, mostly out of necessity. Though, the past few times had been a bit... different. Their relationship had taken an interesting turn as of late and, honestly, Neo wasn't sure what to think of it.

If she had to guess, Cinder felt the same.

She didn't say anything, instead watching the smaller woman with a furrowed brow. Her eye was cloudy, appearing a bit hazy from being woken so abruptly.

Neo frowned, remembering how insistently she had pestered the woman to sleep the previous night. Cinder had not been resting like she should, instead choosing to train and develop her plans. Who cared that their luxury apartment wasn't suited for combat and that Cinder's plans eventually devolved into near nonsense! The more time spent in Atlas, the more stressed the maiden seemed to become. Still, Cinder was persistent. Dragging the woman to bed was akin to pulling teeth.

A wave of guilt ran of her.

She raised a balled hand to her chest and turned it. "Sorry." Neo looked away. "Just a nightmare," she signed, hands wearily going through the motions.

She hoped Cinder would understand. To her delight, the woman had requested Neo teach her sign language. "Purely for tactical reasons" she had claimed. Still, she wasn't sure how well the maiden had picked up on it. They had gone over the basics, and she _seemed_ to retain the information well enough.

There was a pause. Neo had almost started to think Cinder was choosing to ignore her.

There was a sigh. "Okay," the woman muttered, before rolling to her side away from the thief.

Neo turned back to look at the maiden and was met with the disheveled back of Cinder’s head. Feeling her heart squeeze at Cinder's seemingly detached response, Neo's already tempestuous mind grew a bit stormier.

The girl attempted to beat back the thoughts, and in this moment, realized how thirsty she had become. Her legs trembled slightly as pulled herself from the bed. Neo's stance faltered as she silently began to regret her decision. The bed was warm, though the rest of the room certainly was not.

With a heavy sigh, she exited the room and made her way to the kitchen. The common room of the apartment had an open concept floor plan, but this only really made it feel lonely and empty. Her bare feet shuffled against the cold flooring, and she silently cursed whichever architect designed the building. Atlas certainly loved to sacrifice comfort for aesthetics.

A sharp chill ran through her as she pulled a cup from the cabinet. She was starting to regret her sleeping attire, which simply consisted of a loose shirt and underwear. Absentmindedly, the woman filled the glass with water. It would probably only exacerbate her mounting shiver, but Neo was parched.

With the filled glass in hand, the thief made her way to the sprawling window. She wasn’t a huge fan of this particular style, and it seemed incredibly common in Atlas. However, it did allow for their apartment to have a fantastic view over the city. Bicolor eyes passively swept over the buildings below, eventually getting lost in the indiscernible clutter in the far distance.

To be perfectly honest, Neo was not sure if she enjoyed Atlas much. Though, she wasn’t exactly here to vacation. She tried not to think of it much- her reason for being in this city. Nowadays, those thoughts only ever seemed to confuse her. Her heart clenched painfully. She would avenge Roman, that was certain. Though, this line of thinking always led her to question her budding relationship with… _her_.

Neo frowned at the thought.

She wasn't sure how things had come to be this way. Neo was still… unsure if Cinder was to be trusted. If Cinder was or wasn't responsible for Romans' death. Still… the girl couldn't help but feel some kind of growing fondness for the woman. Even her flaws were charming, in a way. Her tendency to rant started off irritating, but the thief would be lying if she said it wasn't even a bit amusing. Even her callous personality had softened during their time together.

One thing somehow led to another, she supposed.

_But what if she was responsible for Romans' death? What if Ruby had nothing to do with it?_

Idly, she sipped at the cool glass in her hands, allowing the muffled sounds of Atlas nightlife to wash over her. Neo shifted her weight and began to impatiently tap the cup in her hand. The sharp _tink tink tink_ of glass filled the once quiet room. At this point, she was growing tired again and wished to finish her drink to return to bed. In addition, the once present thoughts still threatened the corners of her mind. It was possible that, were she to acknowledge them further, Neo may find herself unable to sleep for the night. 

Swiftly, she gulped down the rest of the water. Neo left the cup on the closest table, she could put it up in the morning. Cinder would be sure to complain about it, but it could wait.

Sparing one last glance at the city, Neo turned to pad back to their shared bedroom. It was dark, but fragments of light filtered through the curtains. The maiden had not moved an inch, still laying in the same position as before. She was not asleep, her body was still far too tense for that. It was interesting to Neo, how little Cinder seemed to relax. The thief was usually the first to sleep and the last to wake, so she very rarely got to see the maiden calm.

With another huff, she pulled back the duvet and slipped under with little care. Neo was pleased to find that it was still warm, at least. Still, her extremities remained frigid and icy to the touch. Eliciting a shiver, she rolled to her side, facing away from Cinder, and buried herself deep within the blankets. The bed itself was luxurious, much like everything else in the apartment. The mattress was fluffy and the blankets thick. Logically, rest should have come easily to the diminutive woman.

Neo closed her eyes and attempted to let sleep take her. It never came. Instead, she stared into the blackness behind her eyelids. Her mind was far too clear, too focused, to drift. Lingering anxiety clung to her, refusing to be shaken. The thief attempted to focus on the woman on the opposite side of the bed but it was of no avail. Neo could barely hear her shallow breathing.

A long exhale escaped her lips as her eyes snapped open. Neo squirmed in her place slightly, attempting to find even a bit of comfort among the twisting blankets. Eventually, she grew still again. Still, sleep would not find her.

Instead, Neo continued to think. Particularly, of Cinder's apathetic response to her nightmare prior. Neo rarely had dreams like that, though the same could not be said for the other woman. It wasn't too uncommon for the maiden to awake with a shriek. It was also not uncommon for Neo to settle her. She rarely got to see Cinder calm, save for these few quiet moments in which the maiden would eventually succumb to exhaustion in the girl's arms.

Cinder had never done the same for her though, and Neo was unsure why. Did she actually care? The diminutive woman rarely put her trust in others, and almost began to wonder if she made a mistake with Cinder. Neo felt her face grow hot.

The other side of the bed shifted again. Cinder had either finally fallen asleep, or had moved again. If Neo had to guess, it was probably the latter.

The room was eerily quiet, as if the pair had both been holding their breath, anticipating the other.

The mattress shifted again, Cinder seemingly pulling herself closer to the other woman. 

"Neo…" Cinder's voice was low, only just barely breaking the silence. Light fingers brushed over Neo's waist, waiting to see the woman's reaction before drawing closer.

The thief turned slightly, though she didn't roll over to look at the woman. 

Cinder let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine."

Neo felt her move again, most likely retreating back to her side of the bed. The girl rolled her eyes before reaching out to grab for the other woman. She caught Cinder somewhere on her left arm, Neo could feel the cold grimm under her fingertips. The maiden jumped slightly at the touch.

Gently, she pulled Cinder's arm, hoping to guide her back to her previous position. The woman complied rather easily, allowing Neo to bring her closer. Gently, Cinder pushed Neo's hair out of the way. Otherwise, it would end up in her face the whole night. She had made that mistake before and wouldn't dare do it again.

Neo adjusted herself slightly, allowing Cinder to pull her grimm arm underneath her short frame. Tentatively, her right arm draped over the shorter woman's waist. She sought out Neo's hand with her own. Neo tangled her own legs with the maiden's, silently thankful for the warmth the woman provided. Cinder never seemed to be cold. Infact, her body was always pleasantly warm. It probably had something to do with her semblance or something, though Neo didn't dwell on that for too long.

Cinder left a soft, languid kiss upon Neo's jawline before nuzzling her head into the woman's neck. The untamed ends of her hair tickled the woman beneath her.

A short bit had passed, and silence washed over the two again. After a brief second, a muffled apology rose from Cinder. It was nearly inaudible, leading Neo to question if she was hearing things properly. 

Cinder _never_ apologizes.

Neo let out a snort after realizing that her ears did not deceive her. A burst of warmth spread across her body, and she was unsure if it were simply due to Cinder's body heat or something else.

Neo gave Cinder's hand a squeeze before relinquishing her hold. She squirmed in the maiden's loose embrace, twisting herself to face the woman. Cinder's eye was cloudy, avoiding Neo's gaze in the darkness. Her ashen hair fell over her face messily, her scars only barely poking out underneath. The diminutive woman smiled at Cinder's more lax appearance. It was a side of the woman she rarely got to see, so it was important she appreciated it.

Neo drew a hand behind Cinder's head and gently guided her into a kiss. Neo could feel the warmth of the maiden's skin against her own. She smiled as she felt Cinder relax into the embrace and softly urged her closer. They broke apart though remained close, feeling each other's soft breathing on flushed cheeks.

Neo pulled a small, open hand up in the space between the two. Effortlessly, she curled her middle and ring finger inwards. Whether or not Cinder would understand, Neo couldn't say, though that wasn't really important to her at the moment.

It took a moment, as the maiden seemed to run through her limited knowledge of sign language in her head. She must have understood Neo perfectly, as eventually Cinder's lone eyebrow shot up in realization, mouth falling open slightly in surprise.

That expression was as gone as quickly as it had arrived, replaced by a look of perplexity. "What," she spoke flatly.

Neo repeated the sign, then jabbed Cinder in the chest roughly. A playful smile worked its way to her face. The maiden looked as if she wanted to say something, but the words died in her throat. Cinder's mouth opened and closed a few times, before wrenching shut.

Neo traced a hand across Cinder's jaw and up towards her marred cheek. Gently, she pushed the woman's bangs way and settled a light kiss just below her scarred eye.

Cinder didn't move away from the touch, but stiffened slightly. Neo ran a hand through her hair before bringing the maiden back in for another affectionate kiss. This one was quicker than the previous, though still remained as soft. Neo pulled away, seemingly content and feeling a fresh wave of drowsiness consume her.

Neo curled into the maiden, resting her head on her shoulder. Her arms encircled the taller woman, drawing her closer. Cinder eventually relaxed into the touch, though it took some time. The maiden was probably still reeling from Neo's earlier confession. Her fingers ran idly through the smaller woman's hair before eventually coming to rest. Cinder bowed her head deeply, nuzzling herself into the shorter woman.

Quickly, the thief found her eyelids growing heavy. Before she knew it, she had begun nodding off. The warm embrace of the taller woman was comforting, causing her to nearly forget of her earlier nightmare. Neo eventually grew heavy and somnolent, eyes finally drawing closed. She was just on the verge of sleep before she heard Cinder whisper something.

“I think I do too.” It was low, quiet, and a bit uncertain. She was likely commenting to herself.

A sleepy smile adorned the smaller woman’s face. She traced an unintelligible shape into the woman’s back before languorously pressing a kiss into the woman’s hair. 

**Author's Note:**

> erm. i wrote this all today, so i didn't spend much time really reading over it much. so... i'm SURE there are things i could improve
> 
> i like to imagine cinder likes to be touched, but is the type to never specifically request for attention. considering her backstory, it's not something she's really used to... i feel, were she to be in a relationship, it might be something she would like AH!
> 
> also! i didn't... really say exactly what neo said near the end there. but i feel it is very easy to figure out, PLUS it's very simple ASL sooo ;~) YUH


End file.
